@@ -22,25 +22,25 @@ Karen M. Sandler \\
\vspace{1in}
Copy editors of this part include: \\
Martin Michlmayr
\vspace{3in}
The copyright holders of this part hereby grant the freedom to copy, modify,
convey, Adapt, and/or redistribute this work under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0 International License. A copy of that
license is available at
\verb=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode=.
\url{https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode}.
\end{center}
}
\bigskip
\chapter*{Executive Summary}
This is a guide to effective compliance with the GNU General Public
License (GPL) and related licenses. Copyleft advocates
usually seek to assist the community with
GPL compliance cooperatively. This guide focuses on complying from the
start, so that readers can learn to avoid enforcement actions entirely, or, at
@@ -65,25 +65,25 @@ FSF's enforcement
was generally a private process; the FSF contacted violators
confidentially and helped them to comply with the license. Most
violations were pursued this way until the early 2000's.
By that time, Linux-based systems such as GNU/Linux and BusyBox/Linux had become very common, particularly in
embedded devices such as wireless routers. During this period, public
ridicule of violators in the press and on Internet fora supplemented
ongoing private enforcement and increased pressure on businesses to
comply. In 2003, the FSF formalized its efforts into the GPL Compliance
Lab, increased the volume of enforcement, and built community coalitions
to encourage copyright holders to together settle amicably with violators.
Beginning in 2004, Harald Welte took a more organized public enforcement
approach and launched \verb0gpl-violations.org0, a website and mailing
approach and launched \url{gpl-violations.org}, a website and mailing
list for collecting reports of GPL violations. On the basis of these
reports, Welte successfully pursued many enforcements in Europe, including
formal legal action. Harald earns the permanent fame as the first copyright
holder to bring legal action in a court regarding GPL compliance.
In 2007, two copyright holders in BusyBox, in conjunction with the
Software Freedom Conservancy (``Conservancy''), filed the first copyright infringement lawsuit
based on a violation of the GPL\@ in the USA. While lawsuits are of course
quite public, the vast majority of Conservancy's enforcement actions
are resolved privately via
cooperative communications with violators. As both FSF and Conservancy have worked to bring
individual companies into compliance, both organizations have encountered numerous
@@ -416,25 +416,25 @@ is licensed under the GPL\@. A copy of that license is included in this
document on page $X$\@. You may obtain the complete Corresponding Source
code from us for a period of three years after our last shipment of this
product, which will be no earlier than 2011-08-01, by sending a money
order or check for \$5 to: \\
GPL Compliance Division \\
Our Company \\
Any Town, US 99999 \\
\\
Please write ``source for product $Y$'' in the memo line of your
payment.
You may also find a copy of the source at
\verb0http://www.example.com/sources/Y/0.
\url{http://www.example.com/sources/Y/}.
This offer is valid to anyone in receipt of this information.
\end{quote}
There are a few important details about this offer. First, it requires a
copying fee. GPLv2 permits ``a charge no more than your cost of
physically performing source distribution''. This fee must be reasonable.
If your cost of copying and mailing a CD is more than around \$10, you
should perhaps find a cheaper CD stock and shipment method. It is simply
not in your interest to try to overcharge the community. Abuse of this
provision in order to make a for-profit enterprise of source code
provision will likely trigger enforcement action.
@@ -501,25 +501,25 @@ fulfillment for the latter programs.
If you determine that all GPL'd works in your whole product allow upgrade
to GPLv3 (or were already GPLv3'd to start), your offer for source may be
as simple as this:
\begin{quote}
The software included in this product contains copyrighted software that
is licensed under the GPLv3\@. A copy of that license is included in this
product and/or spare parts therefor, which will be no earlier than
2011-08-01, on our website at
\verb0http://www.example.com/sources/productnum/0.
\url{http://www.example.com/sources/productnum/}.
\medskip
Under both GPLv2 and GPLv3, source offers must be accompanied by a copy of
the license itself, either electronically or in print, with every
distribution.
Finally, it is unacceptable to use option (b) merely because you do not have
Corresponding Source ready. We find that some companies choose this option
because writing an offer is easy, but producing a source distribution as
an afterthought to a hasty development process is difficult. The offer